At the Jan. 13 meeting, Celina City Council received an update on e-bike and e-motorcycle usage from Celina Police Chief John Cullison and discussed establishing a city ordinance.
What you need to know
Cullison said Celina is seeing safety concerns increase related to juveniles using e-bikes and e-motorcycles, including instances where children are riding e-bikes late at night on Preston Road.
“This is such a phenomenon that’s taken hold in the last couple of years,” Cullison said. “You put [juveniles] out on a vehicle like this, [and] there’s an opportunity for a safety concern.”
Cullison noted that since Prosper’s ordinance is now in effect, Celina officials are particularly working to address safety concerns in the neighborhoods sharing a border with Prosper along Frontier Parkway.
“They’re coming over to our side,” Cullison said. “We’re going to become a fertile ground for some of these kids to get hurt, so this is a way to be proactive.”
Some context
Prosper town officials adopted an ordinance in October tightening regulations on e-bike and e-motorcycle usage in response to rising reports of young riders speeding, violating traffic laws and creating safety hazards.
After adopting the ordinance, Prosper Police Department worked to coordinate its efforts with Celina’s department, according to Prosper town documents.
Breaking it down
Cullison noted a primary goal is to provide better education about the laws riders must follow for each kind of electric vehicle.
Under the potential ordinance, which will be modeled after Prosper’s ordinance, Cullison said e-bikes would be required to have permits while e-motorcycles would continue to require a license.
E-motorcycles:
- Classified as motor vehicles under state law
- Require a Class M driver’s license—minimum age 16—registration and insurance
- Three classifications are treated the same as standard bicycles by state law
- Do not require a license, registration or insurance
- Must comply with bicycle traffic laws and local ordinances
- No headphones or earbuds can be used while operating an electric vehicle
- No carrying of passengers is allowed unless the vehicle is designed for passengers
- Electric vehicles must meet lighting requirements for nighttime operation
- Riders under age 15 cannot operate a Class 3 e-bike
- Riders under age 16 must wear a helmet
City officials are planning to draft an ordinance and bring it forward for review at a future council meeting.
